Salmon in ginger and lemongrass broth

Ingredients

(Serves 2)

1 tbsp of sesame oil
1/2 tsp of garlic, chopped
1 tsp ginger, chopped
1 red onions, chopped
1 lemongrass stalks, cut in half and crushed with the back of a knife
2,5 dl cold water
A shake of Tabasco sauce
1 tsp of soy sauce
2,5 tsp fish sauce
2 x 100g salmon fillets (skin removed)
2 spring onions, chopped
1 handful of spring greens
2 chestnut mushrooms, sliced
1 nest of dried noodles
Juice of 1/2 lime and rind of 4
1 tbsp of chopped coriander

Method

Lightly heat the sesame oil in a large pan. Add the garlic, ginger, onions and lemongrass (to crush the lemongrass, use the back of a knife and bash the stalk so it splits). Saute for two minutes without browning. Add 500ml of cold water and bring to the boil. Then add the Tabasco, soy sauce and fish sauce. Gently lower the salmon fillets into the broth and turn down the heat. Simmer for four minutes until the salmon is cooked.

Remove the salmon and leave to one side. Add the vegetables and the noodles, and bring the broth back to the boil. Simmer until the noodles are cooked as per the packet instructions (normally about four minutes).

Finally, add the lime juice and the grated rind. Place the salmon in bowls and pour the broth and noodles over each dish. Finish with freshly chopped coriander.

I am fortunate enough to live in an area of London that has great Asian food. Viet Grill and Cay Tre, in the east of the city, are two of my favourite restaurants. Mark Hix introduced me to them and I have been a convert ever since. The meals are always so full of flavour. I would not be foolish enough to say that this dish is as good as any of theirs, but it's a start.

One of the pleasures of this particular dish is its adaptability. You can make it more spicy by adding chilli, replace the noodles with additional vegetables or meat, or substitute the salmon for tofu.

You don't need to live in London to source ingredients for Asian recipes easily. Most are now readily available in all large supermarkets.

Spring greens are in season and readily available, but you can use pak choi or spinach if you prefer. If you do opt for spinach, make sure you add it right at the end as it wilts within seconds.

The key is not to overcook this. A little bit of chopping, a quick bit of frying – it should be ready within 15 minutes.

Stir fry sauce

2 tbsp light soy sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp clear rice vinegar or cider vinegar

Soba noodle salad

200 g soba noodles

Optionals:

Beef

Chicken

Salmon

Tofu

Optionals:

100 g watercress

100 g red chard leaves

2 spring onions finely shredded

Carrot cut in match sticks

Edamame (soy) beans

Dressing 1:

0,5 dl peanut oil

1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tbsp rice vinegar, or Mirin

1/2 tsp wasabi

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tbsp lemon juice

Dressing 2:

2 tsp rice vinegar, or Mirin

5 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp honey

2 tsp sesame oil

Thai Style Vegetable Stir Fry with Hoisin Sauce

Ingredients:

For the sauce:
1 tbsp lime juice
1,5 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp fresh ginger
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp honey

For the stir-fry:
1/2 block firm or extra firm tofu
1 red or yellow bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
chopped mushrooms (shiitake is best, but another kind may be used)
olive oil for stir-frying


Preparation:
In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, hoisin sauce, ginger, red pepper, cilantro and honey until combined and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat a thin layer of olive oil and add tofu, stirring frequently until tofu is golden brown, about 4-6 minutes. Add peppers, mushrooms and sauce, stirring to combine. Stir-fry another 3-5 minutes and serve your Thai vegetable stir-fry hot over rice or noodles if desired.

Oriental pork with noodles

(serves 2-4)

ingredients
a handful of Szechuan peppercorns, crushed
2 x 350g pork fillets, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1-3 fresh red chillies (to taste), deseeded and chopped
125g oyster mushrooms, wiped and torn
125g shiitake mushrooms, wiped and halved
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
a bunch of spring onions, trimmed and sliced
200 pak choi, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
300g bean sprouts
300g medium egg noodles, cooked
2 teaspoons fish sauce
6 tablespoons oyster sauce
a small bunch of fresh coriander, leaves chopped
75ml chicken stock
dark soy sauce

method
Stir-fries are great fun to make. Just get all the ingredients together and lay them out, then all you need is a really hot wok. Get stuck in!

Rub the crushed peppercorns into the pork slices. Heat your wok and a frying pan to make them as hot as you can. Pour the sesame and sunflower oils into the hot wok and fry the ginger, chilli and mushrooms for a minute until slightly coloured. Throw in the pepper, spring onions, pak choi, garlic and bean sprouts and stir-fry until wilted. Add the noodles, fish and oyster sauces, the coriander leaves and the stock. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until the noodles are steaming hot. Taste and season with soy sauce.

Meanwhile, drizzle a little sunflower oil into the hot frying pan and fry the pork for 2 minutes on each side or until cooked through and golden. Serve with the stir-fried noodles.